High opacity laser printable facestock

ABSTRACT

A multilayer laminate such as a label assembly having high opacity and desirable appearance characteristics is described. The laminate includes a facestock layer, an adhesive layer, and a liner layer. The facestock layer includes a print-receiving top coat layer that includes a combination of titanium dioxide and one or more optical brighteners. The combination of these materials avoids build up of static charges upon laser printing on the facestock.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation-In-Part (CIP) application of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/205,774 filed on Sep. 5, 2008, whichclaims priority upon U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/970,917filed Sep. 7, 2007, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.61/051,185 filed May 7, 2008, all of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to labels. More specifically, theinvention relates to labels that prevent viewing of covered indiciathrough the label when applied to a substrate or another label.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Labels for shipping containers are required to be resistant to exposureto weather conditions such as rain and snow. In order to meet thismoisture resistant requirement, filmic labels are preferred over paperlabels. Additionally, consumers prefer to reuse shipping containers byapplying a new label over the existing address on the container. It ishighly desired that the previous address information not be visiblethrough the new label.

A preferred method of printing address information on a label is with alaser printer or similar device such as a photocopier. However, the hightemperatures and static charge utilized in a laser printing processpresents additional challenges that require the label to be resistant tohigh temperatures and have a low propensity to store electrical charge.Although efforts have been made to produce high opacity filmic labels, acontinuing need exists for a high opacity filmic label which is heatresistant and has a low propensity to store electrical charge.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The difficulties and drawbacks associated with previously known labelsand related products are addressed in the present facestock product,label sheet, and related methods.

In one aspect, the present invention provides a high opacity laserprintable film facestock comprising a laser printable film facestockhaving a printable first layer, a second layer, and a third layer. Thelaser printable film facestock exhibits an opacity greater than or equalto approximately 99.0%, a CIELAB L* greater than or equal toapproximately 93.5, a CIELAB b* less than or equal to approximately−5.0, and at least one of (i) a whiteness index greater than or equal toapproximately 110, and (ii) a brightness greater than or equal toapproximately 94.5%. The laser printable film facestock has a thicknessless than or equal to approximately 2.5 mils.

In another aspect, the invention provides a label sheet comprising aliner sheet and a facestock sheet including a laser printable filmfacestock having a printable first layer, a second layer, and a thirdlayer. The laser printable film facestock exhibits a CIELAB L* greaterthan or equal to approximately 93.5, a CIELAB b* less than or equal toapproximately −5.0, an opacity greater than or equal to approximately99.0%, and at least one of (i) a whiteness index greater than or equalto approximately 110, and (ii) a brightness greater than or equal toapproximately 94.5%. The laser printable film facestock has a thicknessless than or equal to approximately 2.5 mils. The label sheet alsoincludes cut lines through the facestock sheet but not through the linersheet, thereby defining at least one label. And, the label sheet alsocomprises a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive releasably coupling theliner sheet to the facestock sheet.

As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and differentembodiments and its several details are capable of modifications invarious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly,the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative and notrestrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will be better understood with reference to the followingdescription, appended claims and accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross sectional view of a preferred embodimentmultilayer laminate according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross sectional view of a representative labelaccording to a preferred embodiment applied to a substrate.

FIG. 2A is a schematic cross sectional view of another representativelabel according to another preferred embodiment applied to a substrate.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross sectional view of a preferred embodimentlabel according to the invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross sectional view of another preferredembodiment label according to the invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross sectional view of yet another preferredembodiment label according to the invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a preferred embodiment method forproducing a label sheet according to the invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of another preferred embodiment method forproducing a label sheet according to the invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross sectional view of yet another preferredlabel according to the invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of another preferred embodiment label sheetcarrying the label of FIG. 5.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross sectional view of another preferredembodiment label sheet carrying the label of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of another preferred embodiment label sheetaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a preferred embodiment method for producing alabel stock according to the invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of another preferred method for producing a labelstock according to the invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of yet another preferred method for producing alabel stock according to the invention.

Unless otherwise indicated, the illustrations in the above figures arenot necessarily drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to high opacity printable films orlaminates. The films or laminates can be used for shipping labels thatcan be placed over existing labels or other markings, to hide or blockthe underlying label or markings from showing through.

A particular feature of the present invention is that the films orlaminates can be used in laser printers. Typically, the high pigmentloadings required to produce a high opacity film, preclude the use ofsuch films in laser printers. That is, if such films are used in laserprinters, they tend to cause static shocks to users due to the highconcentrations of metalized pigments or materials that provide the highopacity.

The present invention is based upon a discovery that high opacity filmsor laminates can be formed by using a combination of titanium dioxidepigment in conjunction with one or more optical brighteners. Thecombination of these materials in a film or laminate does not result inelectrical shocks when the film or laminate is used in a laser printer.In addition, this combination provides remarkably high levels ofopacity, brightness and whiteness qualities.

In one embodiment, a high opacity multilayer laminate is provided inwhich a film layer and a liner layer are separated by a layer of apressure sensitive adhesive.

More specifically, the invention provides a high opacity multilayerlaminate in the form of (i) a facestock, (ii) a layer of a pressuresensitive adhesive and (iii) a liner. The layer of pressure sensitiveadhesive is disposed between the facestock and the liner. The facestockis preferably die cut to form labels carried and retained on the linerby the pressure sensitive adhesive.

The facestock of the invention preferably exhibits various opticalcharacteristics and a thickness of less than 2.5 mils. Various detailsand additional aspects of the high opacity facestock and associatedlaminates and layered assemblies are set forth herein as follows.

As used herein, opacity is defined as the measurement of the ability ofan object to prevent the passage of light through it. The higher themeasure of opacity, the more opaque the object is and the more difficultit is to discern underlying indicia. Objects can have increased opacitymeasurements through the addition of materials designed to increaseopacity, for example, by using additional layers of materials or byincreasing the amount of material that light must travel through. It ispossible for an object to be opaque to one type of light and not toother types, for example, an object may be opaque to ultra-violet lightbut transparent to visible light. In the present context, the opacity ofthe preferred embodiment labels of the present invention refers to thelabels being opaque to visible light.

Brightness, as used herein, is defined as a measurement of the amount oflight reflected from the surface of an object. Brightness of a surfaceis determined by following the Technical Association of the Pulp andPaper Industry (“TAPPI”) T-452 om-92 test method, and is based uponreflection of blue light of 457 nm wavelength.

Whiteness index, as used herein, is based upon the ASTM E313specification. Whiteness is the degree to which a surface matches awhite reference standard. In lay terms, whiteness is a measurement oflight reflectance across all wavelengths of light comprising the fullvisible spectrum. In technical terms, whiteness is a single number indexreferencing the relative degree of whiteness (of near-white materialsunder specific lighting conditions). Generally, the higher the whitenessvalue, the whiter the material.

There are many alternate ways to describe color. Color, as used herein,is the color space defined as CIE L*a*b* (CIELAB), developed by theInternational Commission on Illumination (Commission Internationaled'Eclairage or CIE). In this 3-dimensional color space system, L*(CIELAB L*) represents the lightness of the color and ranges from 0(black) to 100 (white), a* represents the color's position along thered(magenta)/green axis (negative values represent green and positivevalues represent red or magenta), and b* (CIELAB b*) represents thecolor's position along the blue/yellow axis (negative values representblue and positive values represent yellow).

Preferably, the high opacity laminates and labels comprise (i) one ormore facestock layers which generally include one or more printable topcoats and one or more film layers, (ii) one or more layers of pressuresensitive adhesives, and (iii) one or more liners. Each of thesecomponents is further described as follows.

Facestock

The facestock includes at least an outer printable layer generallyreferred to herein as a top coat, and a structural film layer. Thefacestock may also include one or more additional layers. Preferably,the facestock includes a film layer having a top coat on one face of thefilm layer and a hide coat disposed on an opposite face of the filmlayer. The printable layer or top coat includes a combination oftitanium dioxide and an optical brightener. The hide coat includes acombination of titanium dioxide and one or more polyester agents. Thetitanium dioxide and optical brightener are preferably applied onto thefilm layer by application of a top coat. The film layer can be any filmhaving a softening point of at least about 200° C. A preferred exampleof the film layer is a polyester such as PET. Preferred aspects of thefacestock components are as follows.

Film Layer

The film layer is a thermal resistant film which does not soften whenpassed through a typical fuser mechanism as used in a laser printer.Examples of such films include, but are not limited to, polyethyleneterephthalate, polyimide, polyetherimide, polysulfone, polyethersulfone,polytetraflouroethylene, nylon 6, nylon 6/6, nylon 6,10, nylon 11, nylon12, polyamide-imide, polybutylene terephthalate, polyetheretherketone,including blends or copolymers thereof. The coextruded polyolefin, heatresistant polymer films such as those described in U.S. Pat. No.5,830,571 may also be used. As noted, the selected film materialpreferably exhibits a softening point of at least about 200° C. The filmlayer may contain opacifying pigments such as titanium dioxide, calciumcarbonate, kaolin clay, barium sulfate, carbon black, hollow spheres,etc. The film layer may be cavitated to increase opacity and brightness.However, it is generally preferred that the film layer not be cavitated.Optical brighteners such as those included in the laser top coat layerdescribed below, may be included in the film layer.

A typical range and preferred thickness for the film layer is from about0.5 mils (12.7 μm) to about 2.2 mils (55.88 μm), with 2 mils (50.8 μm)being preferred.

Printable/High Opacity Layer (Top Coat)

The outer printable layer of the facestock includes a combination oftitanium dioxide and optical brighteners. This combination is preferablyapplied as a top coat to the film layer. Regarding the titanium dioxide,Rutile coatings grade is preferred, Anatase may also be used. Thetitanium dioxide particles have a maximum span of approximately 200 nmto 600 nm, and preferably about 410 nm. The term “maximum span” refersto the average value of the maximum distance extending across a particlefrom a representative sample of particles in the top coat formulation.For example, for spherical particles, the maximum distance extendingacross a particle corresponds to the diameter of the particle. Theweight percent concentration of the titanium dioxide is preferably fromabout 2.5% to about 12.5%, based upon the total weight of the top coatformulation. All percentages noted herein are percentages by weightunless indicated otherwise.

The outer printable layer of the facestock, i.e. the top coat, alsoincludes optical brighteners. The optical brightener is an organiccompound that absorbs ultraviolet light and reemits light in the visiblerange. Examples include but are not limited to triazine-stilbenes,coumarins, imidazolines, diazoles, thiaxoles, benzoxalines,biphenyl-stilbenes and combinations thereof. Examples of commerciallyavailable optical brighteners include UVITEX OB, UVITEX MES, LEUCOPUREGM and EASTOBRITE OB-1. UVITEX OB and UVITEX MES are available fromCiba Specialty Chemicals, High Point, N.C. or Ciba of Basel,Switzerland. LEUCOPUR EGM is an optical brightener and is available fromCiba. EASTOBRITE OB-1 is another optical brightener available fromEastman Chemical of Kingsport, Tenn. The one or more optical brightenersare utilized in amounts such that when incorporated into a top coatformulation and formed into a top coat layer as described herein, theresulting top coat layers exhibit the noted optical properties describedherein. These amounts are referred to herein as “effective amounts” ofthe one or more optical brighteners. Preferred weight percentconcentrations used for the optical brighteners are from about 0.05% toabout 0.75%, based upon the total weight of the top coat formulation.

Typically, titanium dioxide interferes with optical brighteners. And so,in the preferred embodiments described herein, the concentration of TiO₂in the print receptive coating is optimized to aid in opacity withminimal interference with the optical brighteners in the coating and theoptical brighteners which may also be present in the white film. Higherlevels of TiO₂ in the top coat typically result in reduced brightness ofthe film composite.

Although the various top coat formulations described herein use titaniumoxide, it is contemplated that one or more other nonmetallic pigmentssuch as metallic oxides may be used instead of or in combination withthe titanium dioxide. Therefore, it will be appreciated that in no wayis the invention limited to the sole use of titanium oxide inconjunction with one or more optical brighteners as described herein.The term “nonmetallic pigments” refers to an agent free of any metalsexisting in their elemental form, and which agent is typically used toimpart color to a composition. Imparting color to a composition requiresthat the incorporation of the agent into the composition changes thecolor of reflected or transmitted light as the result ofwavelength-selective absorption. Thus, nonmetallic pigments typicallyexclude metallic pigments such as aluminum particles or aluminum flakes.And, nonmetallic pigments typically include titanium dioxide andpotentially other metallic oxides, and may for example be in the form ofbarium sulfate, silica dioxide, calcium carbonates, kaolin clays, andcarbon blacks. The term “metallic pigments” refers to one or more metalsin their elemental form and which are used to impart color to acomposition. Representative examples of such include but are not limitedto aluminum, copper, and iron, in any shape such as particles or flakes.

The preferred top coat formulations also comprise one or more binders. Awide array of binders can be used. For example, an inert polyesterbinder available under the designation VITEL PE 200 from Bostik, Mass.can be used. It will be appreciated that the various top coatformulations preferably employ one or more binders, the selection ofwhich is dictated primarily by process and application considerations.

Numerous top coat layers can be used, such as, for example, a top coat,a top coat base layer, and a top coat base intermediate layer.Representative examples of these are described in various examplespresented herein. For example, in certain embodiments, it is preferredto include a top coat generally comprising titanium dioxide, one or moreoptical brighteners, a polyester intermediate formulation, and one ormore other agents. Representative top coat formulations, according tovarious embodiments of the invention, are set forth in the varioustables herein.

A wide range of thicknesses and coat weights can be used for this layeror collection of layers. A representative preferred range of coatingweights for a top coat is from about 1 to about 10 grams per squaremeter (g/m² or gsm), more preferably from about 2 to about 8 g/m², andmost preferably from about 4 to about 6 g/m². It will be understood thatthe present invention includes the use of top coats having coatingweights less than or greater than these amounts.

Hide Coat

Preferred embodiment facestocks as described herein include one or morehide coats. Preferably, the one or more hide coats are disposedalongside a face of the film layer that is opposite the face along whichthe one or more top coats reside. Generally, the one or more hide coatscomprise titanium dioxide, as previously noted for use in the top coat,in conjunction with one or more polyester agents, and optionally furtherin combination with one or more solvents. The concentration of titaniumdioxide in the hide coat can be any effective concentration that resultsin the desired effect. The desired effect, as explained throughout thepresent application is to increase opacity of the facestock or label,avoid detrimental effects with optical brighteners, and provide a labelthat is heat resistant and has a low propensity to store electricalcharge. The polyester agent is preferably an inert polyester binderwhich for example is available from numerous commercial sources. Also,it may be preferred to include one or more hide coats in associationwith the film layer. Preferred hide coats generally comprise titaniumdioxide, a polyester intermediate formulation, and one or more otheragents. The hide coat may also contain inert filler such as silica orcalcium carbonate. Preferred examples of particular top coats and hidecoats for application to one or more film layers constituting afacestock, are provided in the description of various examples herein.

A wide range of thicknesses and coat weights can be used for this layeror collection of layers. A representative preferred range of coatingweights for a hide coat is from about 1 to about 12 grams per squaremeter (g/m² or gsm), more preferably from about 4 to about 10 g/m², andmost preferably from about 6 to about 8 g/m². It will be appreciatedthat the invention includes the use of hide coats having coating weightsless than or greater than these amounts.

Pressure Sensitive Adhesives

As noted, it is generally preferred that pressure sensitive adhesives beused in the high opacity multilayer laminates and label assemblies.However, other adhesives can be used. Adhesives applicable to thisconstruction include, but are not limited to, permanent adhesives,removable adhesives, ultra-removable adhesives, heat-activatedadhesives, moisture-activated adhesives, and radiation-activatedadhesives. The adhesives may also be classified according to thechemical composition type. These types include, but are not limited to,natural rubber, acrylic emulsion, hot melt, warm melt, solvent-based,silicone, and acrylic radiation-curable adhesives.

Adhesive coating weight depends on the particular needs of theapplication. Adhesive coat weights of approximately 20 grams per squaremeter (g/m² or gsm) are preferred. Coat weights significantly greaterthan approximately 25 g/m² are less desirable because the adhesive canooze from under the label causing errors in printers. Adhesive oozeafter application of the label to a substrate can cause adhesion toadditional surfaces. For example, a label with a high coat weightadhesive attached to an envelope can adhere to other envelopes during amail-handling process. Coat weights significantly less thanapproximately 15 g/m² can have poor adhesion to substrates causing thelabel to lift or pull off of the substrate to which it is attached.

A typical range of adhesive layer thickness is from about 0.1 mil (2.54μm) to about 10 mil (254 μm), again depending on the needs of theapplication. A preferred thickness of the adhesive layer is from about0.5 mil (12.7 μm) to about 3 mil (76.2 μm). It will be appreciated thatthe relationship between the adhesive coating weight and the adhesivelayer thickness may vary greatly when comparing different adhesives. Theadhesive coat weights and the adhesive layer thicknesses noted hereinare merely guidelines.

Liner

The choice of liner materials used also depends on the particular needsof the application. Typical types of liner materials include, but arenot limited to, paper (super calendered, lacquer or varnish-coated,glassine, kraft), film (polyolefin, polyester), foil, glass, andmultilayer construction (polyolefin-coated paper). For cost reasons andease of printing in desktop printers, paper is the liner material ofchoice.

Typical thicknesses of the liner material range from about 0.5 mil (12.7μm) to about 5 mil (127 μm).

As will be appreciated, liners typically include one or more releasecoatings. Surface energy and rheological properties are the criticalcharacteristics of the release coating on the liner. These properties ofthe release coating should be designed such that the liner or releasecoating may be poorly wetted by the adhesive that is to be used. Therelease values should be low enough such that the labels can be easilyremoved from the liner without curling or deforming the label, yet highenough to prevent the labels from prematurely separating from the liner,for example, while within a desktop printer.

Laminates, Labels, and Label Sheets

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross sectional view of a preferred embodimentmultilayer laminate 10 in accordance with the invention. The preferredembodiment laminate 10 comprises a facestock 32 that includes a top coatlayer 20 and a film layer 30. The laminate 10 also comprises a liner 50and layer of adhesive 40 which preferably includes a pressure sensitiveadhesive disposed between the facestock 32 and the liner 50. The topcoat layer 20 preferably defines an outermost exposed face 22 forreceiving printing or other application of indicia or the like.

Referring to FIG. 2, the present invention also relates to labels 100,associated label sheets and related methods. The labels 100 are used tocover existing indicia 102 on substrates 104, for example packages andenvelopes, so that the substrate 104 can be reused. In use, the labels100 prevent viewing of the underlying indicia 102. Referring to FIG. 2A,the present invention also relates to labels 110, associated labelsheets and related methods. The labels 110 are used to cover existinglabels 116 having indicia 112, the labels 116 disposed on substrates114, for example, packages and envelopes, so that the substrate 114 canbe reused. In use, the labels 110 prevent viewing of the underlyingindicia 112. The label embodiments of the present invention arecharacterized by their properties, namely opacity, brightness, whitenessindex and color.

A sectional view of another preferred embodiment label 200 is shown inFIG. 3 and includes a facestock 206 having a first surface 208 and asecond surface 210, and a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive (“PSA”)212 proximal to the second surface of the facestock. Proximal, as usedherein, means nearby and does not preclude intervening structures, forexample, additional layers or gaps. The label can optionally include anindicia-accepting layer 214 proximal to the first surface 208 of thefacestock 206.

The label 200 is tailored to exhibit an opacity of greater than or equalto approximately 99.0%, a brightness value of greater than or equal toapproximately 94.5%, a CIELAB L* greater than or equal to approximately93.5, and a CIELAB b* less than or equal to approximately −5.0. Mostpreferably, the opacity is greater than 99.7%. Alternatively, the labelis constructed to have a whiteness index greater than or equal toapproximately 110. By “alternatively,” it is meant that instead of thelabel exhibiting the previously noted CIELAB parameters, the labelexhibits a particular whiteness index as measured pursuant to the ASTME313 specification as noted herein. These properties are achieved by useof a combination of titanium dioxide and one or more optical brightenersin the noted proportions in the facestock 206 and/or the layer 214.These properties may be enhanced or further promoted by modifying thefacestock 206, the pressure sensitive adhesive 212, or both.Modifications can include the use of additives in the facestock orpressure sensitive adhesive and the use of additional thin layers ofmaterials, as described herein. Furthermore, additional steps can betaken to increase opacity of the label during manufacture including, forexample, increasing the film density, increasing the film thickness,increasing the basis weight and/or increasing binder or sizing levels.

A label 400 according to another preferred embodiment is shown in FIG.4. In this label embodiment, a facestock 406 is coated on its secondsurface 410 with a second layer 418 including a primer and at least onesecond layer additive. The second surface 410 is also coated with afirst layer 416 including a primer and at least one first layeradditive. The first and second layers are coupled between the facestock406 and a layer of an adhesive 412. One of the layers, e.g. the firstlayer 416 or the second layer 418, is light absorbing and the otherlayer is light reflecting. In one embodiment, the first layer 416 isconfigured to absorb light and the second layer 418 is configured toreflect light.

The primer of the first and second layers 416 and 418, respectively, canbe the same, or they can be different primers. Materials suitable foruse as primers are compatible with the additives included in therespective layer. The additives should remain evenly dispersed in theprimer. The primers are preferably aqueous dispersions of syntheticlatex. Dispersions including polyvinyl acetate, styrene butadienerubber, polyvinyl alcohol, starch and styrene acrylics are non-limitingexamples of suitable primers.

A wide range of thicknesses and coat weights can be used for the primerlayer or collection of layers. A representative preferred range ofcoating weights for a primer layer is from about 0.5 to about 12 gramsper square meter (g/m² or gsm), more preferably from about 2 to about 10g/m², and most preferably from about 4 to about 8 g/m². It will beappreciated that the invention includes the use of primer layers havingcoating weights less than or greater than these amounts.

The additives in the first layer 416 are chosen to absorb light, therebyincreasing the opacity of the layer compared to a similar layer withoutthe additive. As used herein, the phrase “increasing the opacity” meansthe opacity of a material is greater than the opacity of anothermaterial. Suitable first layer additives include, but are not limitedto, carbon black, metallic flakes, other metallic particles and otherdark dispersants, as well as dark dyes, in particular dark blue dyes anddark gray dyes. Although metal agents are noted, it is particularlypreferred that this layer be free from any metallic pigments, metallicagents, or metallic additives.

The additives in the second layer 418 are chosen to reflect light, andparticularly in a diffuse manner, i.e., randomly and evenly scattered,although materials that absorb and re-emit light are also suitable.Additives suitable for inclusion in the second layer include, but arenot limited to, titanium dioxide, calcium carbonate, in particularprecipitated calcium carbonate, barium sulfate, aluminum trihydrate,talc, zinc sulfide, diatomaceous silica, clay, chalk, ash, finelydispersed gases, stilbenes, azoles, coumarins, pyrazenes andnapthalimides. It is particularly preferred that this layer be free fromany metallic pigments, metallic agents, or metallic additives.

In one aspect of this label embodiment 400, the first layer 416 isdirectly adjacent to the second surface 410 of the paper facestock 406.As used herein, directly adjacent means that the layer is in directcontact with the second surface of the facestock with no interveninglayers. It is believed that in this instance, the first layer absorbslight passing through the facestock, thus increasing the opacity of thelabel. In another instance of this label embodiment the second layer 418is adjacent to the second surface of the facestock. It is believed thatin this instance, the second layer reflects light passing through thefacestock, thus increasing the opacity of the label.

In another label embodiment 500, as shown in FIG. 5, a facestock 506includes at least one facestock additive and a layer of pressuresensitive adhesive 512 includes at least one adhesive additive. As aresult of the inclusion of the at least one facestock additive and theat least one adhesive additive, the label has an opacity greater than ifthe at least one facestock additive and at least one adhesive additivewere not included.

Pigments, fillers and optical brighteners can affect the brittleness,tensile strength and cuttability, among other attributes, of a filmlayer. Film layers can become more brittle, have less tensile strength,be more difficult to cut and cause cutting blades to dull sooner thanexpected. Pigments, fillers and optical brighteners can affect the peelstrength, tack, shear and viscosity, among other attributes, ofadhesives. The adhesive can lose peel strength, tack and shear, and thusbecome less aggressive. The viscosity of the adhesive can increasemaking it difficult to apply to substrates. Because the physicalproperties of the film layer and adhesives can be negatively affected byadditives, it can be difficult obtain sufficient opacity to block outunderlying indicia when the film and adhesive are made into a label.

Referring further to FIG. 5, the amount or concentration of additives inthe pressure sensitive adhesive 512 is chosen to minimally impact theadhesive's properties while providing opacity. If the level of additivesis too high, the PSA will have insufficient adhesive properties to allowthe label 500 to adhere to envelopes and packages during handling priorto delivery. If the level of additives is too low, underlying indiciamay be visible through the applied label. Thus, the concentration of theadditives in the pressure sensitive adhesive is such that the PSAexhibits sufficient adhesive properties whereby the label adequatelyadheres to envelopes and packages; and the label exhibits sufficientopacity when used in combination with the inventive face stock wherebyunderlying indicia or previous markings on envelopes and packages is notvisible through the label.

The amount or concentration of additives in the facestock sheet 506 ischosen to provide maximum opacity of the label 500 when attached to anenvelope or package while maintaining desirable properties includingprintability in laser and inkjet printers and copiers, stiffness,machinability in processes used to manufacture labels, whiteness andbrightness.

A preferred method 600 of achieving the goal of opaque labels 200 is toinclude additives in the adhesive 212, as shown in step 608 of FIG. 6,to obtain as high an opacity as possible while maintaining adhesion to asubstrate. The first three steps 602, 604 and 606, of the method provideadditives, adhesive and film layer material, respectively. Additivelevels can be adjusted during the manufacture of the facestock in step610 to achieve at least 99.0% opacity in the final product produced instep 612.

In an alternative preferred method 700, shown in FIG. 7, the first threesteps 702, 704 and 706, involve providing additives, adhesive and filmmaterial, respectively. The facestock can be made as opaque as possible,step 708, while maintaining film properties sufficient for converting.Then a sufficient amount of additives are included in the adhesive, step710, to achieve 99.0% opacity in the label stock (see later discussion)produced in step 712. Most preferably, the opacity is greater than99.7%.

The at least one facestock additive can be chosen from, but not limitedto, titanium dioxide, calcium carbonate, in particular precipitatedcalcium carbonate, barium sulfate, aluminum trihydrate, talc, zincsulfide, diatomaceous silica, clay, chalk, ash, finely dispersed gases,stilbenes, azoles, coumarins, pyrazenes and napthalimides. Otheracceptable facestock additive materials are those that increase theopacity of the facestock by reflecting light rather than transmitting orabsorbing light. It is particularly preferred that this layer be freefrom any metallic pigments, metallic agents, or metallic additives.

The at least one adhesive additive can include carbon black, titaniumdioxide, metallic flakes, other metallic particles and other darkdispersants, as well as dark dyes, in particular dark blue dyes and darkgray dyes. Other materials that absorb light, rather than reflect ortransmit light, can also be used. Although metallic agents are noted, itis generally preferred that the adhesive layer be free of any metallicadditives or agents.

In yet another label embodiment 800, shown in FIG. 8, a single pigmentedlayer 816 is coupled between a facestock 806 and a pressure sensitiveadhesive 812. The pigmented layer preferably includes light absorbingmaterials. The light absorbing materials include carbon black, metallicflakes, other metallic particles and other dark dispersants, as well asdark dyes, in particular dark blue dyes and dark gray dyes. In onepreferred instance, the pigmented layer is blue. Although metal agentsare noted, it is particularly preferred that this layer be free from anymetallic pigments, metallic agents, or metallic additives.

In yet another embodiment, the facestock 806 includes at least onewhiteness enhancer. The at least one whiteness enhancer can includetitanium dioxide, calcium carbonate, in particular precipitated calciumcarbonate, barium sulfate, aluminum trihydrate, talc, zinc sulfide,diatomaceous silica, clay, chalk, ash, finely dispersed gases,stilbenes, azoles, coumarins, pyrazenes and napthalimides.

The facestock 806 is preferably made with a grammage higher than currentfacestocks suitable for use in pressure sensitive labels. Grammage offacestocks suitable for use in pressure sensitive labels isapproximately 70 g/m², and has a low enough opacity to allow underlyingindicia 102 to be discerned. To increase the opacity, the pigmentedlayer 816 (also referred to as a back coat or size coat) is applied tothe second surface 810 of the facestock. Preferably, the pigmented backcoat is blue to have minimal impact on the whiteness of the label 800,but other colors may also prove useful. Useful blue pigment dyes includeIRGALITE BLUE RL and IRGALITE BLUE RM (both available from CibaSpecialty Chemicals of High Point, N.C.) and others. The grammage of thefacestock and the pigmented back coat provide opacity to the finishedlabel such that any underlying indicia are effectively blocked out. Apreferred facestock grammage is approximately 90 g/m², while thepigmented back coat is preferably approximately 10 g/m².

The facestock 806 is coated with a layer 812 of pressure sensitiveadhesive suitable for the label's intended use. Typically, permanentPSAs are used, for example those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,423,392,but other types of PSAs, for example removable or repositionableadhesives, for example those noted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,908, can beused. The adhesive is preferably coated at between approximately 15 g/m²to approximately 25 g/m², more preferably approximately 18 g/m² toapproximately 20 g/m².

Any of the label embodiments 100, 200, 400, 500 and 800 can furtherinclude an indicia-accepting layer, such as the layer 214 proximal tothe first surface 208 of the facestock 206 as shown in FIG. 3. Theindicia-accepting layer can be any of those known in the art to allowacceptance of ink-jet ink, laser toner, or hand-held writing instrumentmarkings. In addition, the indicia-accepting layer can increase theopacity of the label, preferably by reflecting light.

All of the label embodiments 100, 200, 400, 500 and 800 include at leasttwo layers wherein one layer is a facestock 206, 406, 506, and 806 andthe other layer is an adhesive 212, 412, 512 and 812. Additional layers416, 418 and 816 can also be present, as previously discussed. Any ofthe laminates, labels, or label sheets described herein can include oneor more hide layers. As previously described, the one or more hidelayers are disposed along a face of a film layer that is oppositelydirected from the top coat. Thus, referring to FIG. 1 for example, inthe event that laminate 10 included a hide coat, such hide coat would bepresent between layers 30 and 40. The labels herein described are meantto remain intact during use, that is, the labels are not intended todelaminate. The entire label should be removable from the substrate whenremovable or ultraremovable adhesives are used, or either the label orthe substrate should tear, particularly when the substrate is paper. Inneither situation should the layers of the label separate from oneanother.

A label sheet embodiment 900 using the label stock 520 of FIG. 5 isshown in FIG. 9 and a label sheet embodiment 1000 using the label stock820 of FIG. 8 is shown in FIG. 10. Label sheet embodiments 900 and 1000can be made by adding a release-coated liner 922 and 1022, respectively,to any of the label embodiments. The release-coated liner is used toprotect the pressure sensitive adhesive 912 and 1012 and to allow theadhesive-backed label to be passed through a printer, in particular, adesktop printer that can be attached to a personal computer. Therelease-coated liner can be those routinely used for label manufactureincluding paper, film and film-coated paper liners. Any release systemis suitable in which the release value is greater than or equal toapproximately 50 gsm. Release systems can include silicones, waxes,fluorocarbons and other abherent materials. The release coating isusually less than or equal to approximately 2 g/m².

Referring additionally to FIG. 11, label sheets 1100 having labels 1124are generally meant to be printed upon by handheld writing instrumentsor printers. Label sheets intended to be printed upon using a printerare constructed to allow passage through the printer without becomingcaught on any of the printer's mechanical parts. Some of the manyconcerns regarding the construction of the label sheet include thethickness and curl, or flatness, of the label sheet to be printed.

Printers generally exhibit tight tolerances and tight turns in the patha label sheet 1100 follows while being printed. Label sheets that aretoo thick or high in caliper can have difficulties during transportthrough a printer. Thick label sheets can be improperly picked up by thepaper transport mechanism resulting in a jam as the sheet enters theprinter. Even if a thick sheet is transported successfully into aprinter, tolerances between rollers may prevent the sheet fromcompleting the paper path without becoming stuck or bound inside theprinter. Also, if the sheet is too thick, it may be too stiff to bendaround the printer's internal rollers and become jammed inside theprinter. Preferred embodiments of the label sheet have an overallcaliper (“C”) (see also FIG. 9) of less than or equal to approximately+0.01 inch, or about 10 mils.

The lower limit for caliper is usually not an issue for label sheets1100. Because the label sheet includes a facestock 906, a layer ofadhesive 912 and a release-coated liner 922, the sheet is usually thickenough to avoid printing difficulties associated with thin sheets. Thedifficulties that can be encountered with thin sheets include the sheetnot being picked up by the sheet transport mechanism of the printer andjamming inside the printer because the sheet is not stiff enough. Sheetswith insufficient stiffness do not follow the printer's paper pathbecause free edges can bend out of the paper path and become caught oninternal printer parts. Additionally, label sheets that are too thin canhave labels insufficiently opaque to hide covered indicia on a substrateto which the label has been applied. Preferred embodiments of the labelsheet have an overall caliper of greater than or equal to approximately+0.003 inch, or about 3 mils.

Curl is a measure of how well a label sheet 1100 conforms to planarity.Curl can be especially pronounced at the corners 1126 of the label sheetand if the magnitude of the curl is too high, the corners of the sheetcan become lodged inside a printer during printing. As shown in FIG. 11,sides 1128 of the sheet 1100 generally meet at corners 1126. Curl can bedetermined by placing a label sheet on a flat surface in a controlledenvironment with the facestock 906 away from the flat surface. Eachcorner can be inspected and the deflection of any corner lifted from theflat surface is measured and recorded as a positive curl value. Thelabel sheet is then placed onto the flat surface with the facestockagainst the flat surface. Again, the deflection of any corner liftedfrom the flat surface is measured, this time being recorded as anegative curl measure. A label sheet having maximum curl values lessthan or equal to approximately 0.5 inch in magnitude are acceptable. Forexample, a sheet with −0.6 inches of curl is unacceptable. And, a sheetwith +0.6 inches of curl is also unacceptable. A label sheet havingmaximum curl values less than or equal to approximately 0.25 inch inmagnitude is preferred. One example embodiment has measured curl valuesbetween approximately +0.25 inch and approximately −0.5 inch.

One embodiment of a label sheet 1100 includes a label stock 920 (seeFIG. 9) and a release-coated liner 922. The label stock includes afacestock 906 and a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive 912. Therelease-coated liner is coupled to the layer of pressure sensitiveadhesive. The label stock has an opacity greater than or equal toapproximately 99.0%. The label stock has a whiteness index greater thanor equal to approximately 110, or alternatively, a brightness greaterthan or equal to approximately 94.5%, a CIELAB L* greater than or equalto approximately 93.5 and a CIELAB b* less than or equal toapproximately −5.0. Most preferably, the opacity is greater than 99.7%.The total caliper of the label sheet is less than or equal toapproximately +0.01 inch, or 10 mils.

An opaque label sheet 1100 of the present invention is machine printablein laser and inkjet printers and copiers and has the followingperformance characteristics:

-   -   1) Total label sheet thickness: +0.010 inch maximum    -   2) Curl: 0.5 inch maximum at any corner 1126 of the sheet    -   3) Release: The force required to remove a label 1124 from the        release-coated liner 922 is at least 30 g/in² (4.65 g/cm²).    -   4) Smooth Edges: Edges 1128 are free of nicks and tears. No        adhesive ooze at sheet edges

Referring to FIG. 12, one embodiment of a method 1200 for manufacturinga label stock includes the steps of providing a facestock 1202,providing a pressure sensitive adhesive 1204 and coupling the pressuresensitive adhesive to the facestock 1206. The label stock thus formedhas an opacity greater than or equal to approximately 99.0%. The labelstock also includes a whiteness index greater than or equal toapproximately 110, or alternatively, a brightness greater than or equalto approximately 94.5%, a CIELAB L* greater than or equal toapproximately 93.5, and a CIELAB b* less than or equal to approximately−5.0. Most preferably, the opacity is greater than 99.7%.

Referring to FIG. 13, another embodiment of a method 1300 formanufacturing a label stock includes providing a pressure sensitiveadhesive in the form of a layer 1304 and providing a facestock 1302. Thestep of coupling the layer of pressure sensitive adhesive to thefacestock includes laminating the pressure sensitive adhesive layer andfacestock together 1306 to produce the label stock.

Referring to FIG. 14, yet another embodiment of a method 1400 formanufacturing a label stock includes the pressure sensitive adhesivebeing provided on a release-coated liner at step 1404. The pressuresensitive adhesive can be applied to the release-coated liner by anyknown means, including die coating, curtain coating, extrusion and spraycoating. A facestock is provided in step 1402. Laminating the pressuresensitive adhesive layer and the facestock together 1406 produces thelabel stock attached to the release coated liner.

Those skilled in the art of manufacturing pressure sensitive adhesivelabels 100, 200, 400, 500, 800, particularly those designed for use withdesktop printers, are able to produce flat label sheets 1100. Methodsknown to those skilled in the art include balancing the tension of thefacestock such as facestock 906 and the release-coated liner, such asliner 922, during fabrication and balancing the moisture levels of thecomponents of the label sheet. The moisture level in the label sheet canbe adjusted by heating any or all of the layers in the assembly such aspreviously noted layers 206, 212, 406, 412, 416, 418, 1006, 1012, 1016,1022 to lower the moisture level or by subjecting any or all of thelayers to steam to increase the moisture level. Both the facestock andthe release coated liner can be subjected to these treatments to balancethe moisture level.

Another embodiment of a method for manufacturing a label stock includesthe facestock and pressure sensitive adhesive being permanentlyattached. The facestock and pressure sensitive adhesive should notdelaminate from one another during use.

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE INVENTION

The anti-static characteristics of the preferred embodiment laminates orfacestock are another feature of the present invention. The reducedstatic benefit is provided by the use of nonmetallic pigments. Aspreviously noted, nonmetallic pigments include titanium dioxide (andpotentially other metallic oxides), barium sulfate, silica dioxide,calcium carbonates, kaolin clays, carbon blacks or similar inorganic ororganic materials. And, as previously noted, nonmetallic pigmentstypically exclude metallic pigments such as aluminum particles oraluminum flakes. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,256,490, metallic pigment coatingswere used to provide a high opacity benefit. Coating an insulator suchas polyester film with a metallic pigment coating inadvertentlyincreases the propensity of the multiple sheets to store electricalcharge. The laser printing process involves charging a substrate toallow for transfer of toner to the substrate. Therefore, printingmultiple sheets results in enough electrical charge storage to cause astatic shock to consumers when removing printed sheets from the laserprinter.

EXAMPLES Test Methods

Appearance tests: A typical opacity measuring method involves measuringthe contrast ratio of the facestock when it is placed in front of whiteand black backgrounds. This and the following appearance tests may beperformed using a MACBETH COLOR-EYE 2020 PLUS spectrophotometer(Gretag-Macbeth AG of Regensdorf, Switzerland). A 2 mils white highopacity polyester facestock exhibits 91% opacity. That polyesterfacestock is Hostaphan W270 and is available from Mitsubishi PolyesterFilm, Inc. of Greer, S.C. Brightness of a surface is determined byfollowing the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry(“Tappi”) T-452 om-92 test method. This method is based upon reflectionof blue light of 475 nm wavelength. Whiteness index, as used herein, isbased upon the ASTM E313 specification. Whiteness is the degree to whicha surface matches a white reference standard. There are many alternativeways to describe color. Color, as used herein, is the color spacedefined as CIE L*a*b*(CIELAB), developed by the International Commissionon Illumination (Commission Internationale d'Eclairage or CIE). In this3-dimensional color space system, L* (CIELAB L*) represents thelightness of the color and ranges from 0 (black) to 100 (white), a*represents the color's position along the red (magenta)/green axis(negative values represent green and positive values represent red ormagenta), and b* (CiELAB b*) represents the color's position along theblue/yellow axis (negative values represent blue and positive valuesrepresent yellow).

Caliper test method: The thickness of a single sheet of film is measuredwith the use of an EMVECO Model 210-A Microgage micrometer availablefrom Emveco Inc. of Newberg, Oreg.

Example 1

In one investigation, various top coats having different concentrationsof titanium dioxide were prepared by combining titanium dioxideintermediate formulation identified in Table 4 with a laser top coatbase intermediate formulation identified in Table 5 along with anoptical brightener. The resulting top coats are noted below in Table 1.Table 1 provides an indication as to the percentage of titanium dioxideresulting in a top coat formulation prepared by combining a titaniumdioxide intermediate (the formulation of which is noted in Table 4) anda laser top coat base intermediate (the formulation of which is noted inTable 5). Thus, referring to Table 1, if a 5% concentration of titaniumdioxide is desired in a laser top coat layer, one combines 6.51% of thetitanium dioxide intermediate, 93.29% of the laser top coat baseintermediate, and 0.2% UVITEX. The optical brightener is UVITEXavailable from Ciba Specialty Chemicals of High Point, N.C. UVITEXoptical brightener is 2,5 thiophenediylbis(5-tert-butyl-1,3-benzoxazole).

TABLE 1 Top Coats With Different Concentrations of TiO₂ (percent TiO2)Laser top coat 0% TC 5% TC 10% TC 15% TC 20% TC Titanium DioxideIntermediate 0 6.51 13.02 19.53 26.04 Laser Top Coat Base Intermediate99.8 93.29 86.78 86.78 86.78 UVITEX 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 Gravure plate100HK 100HK 100HK 100HK 100HK L* Value D65 93.26 94.33 94.29 94.79 94.89Brightness 99.96 96.97 97.98 97.65 96.78 Whiteness 145.37 123.53 126.8 121.28  117.33  B* −10.94 −6.18 −6.93 −5.65 −4.94 Hide coat 2 with 100HK2 with 100HK 2 with 100HK 2 with 100HK 2 with 100HK

The facestock can include one or more additional layers. Examples ofthese other additional layers are set forth below in Table 2 as follows.

TABLE 2 Facestock Layers Caliper (mils) Opacity Whiteness BrightnessD5 - Laser top coat 14 2.33 99.95 126.95 97.13 100HK (~4 gsm)/2M WHPET/Hide coat 9 100HK + 150HK (~6 gsm) D9 - Laser top coat 17 2.36 99.68115.82 94.58 100HK (~4 gsm)/2M WH PET/Hide coat 16 100HK/ Hide coat 1100HK (~8 gsm)

Two representative preferred embodiment facestocks are noted in Table 2.The first facestock is designated as D5 and includes a hide coatformulation number 9 noted in Table 7 which was applied using a 100 HKand a 150 HK gravure cylinder pattern to a coat weight of approximately6 g/m² (gsm) onto a face of a 2 mils PET film layer. The PET film layeris available from Mitsubishi Polyester Film, Inc. of Greer, S.C. underthe designation Hostaphan W270. Onto the other face of the film layer, alaser top coat having a particular formulation noted in Table 6 asnumber 14 was applied with a 100 HK gravure cylinder pattern to a coatweight of approximately 4 gsm. The other facestock is designated as D9.Thickness (i.e. caliper) measurements and optical characteristics weretaken as described herein and the values presented in Table 2.

Each of the laser top coats and hide coats used in the facestock layersnoted in Table 2, were prepared by the following formulations set forthbelow in Tables 3-7. Specifically, various laser top coats listed inTable 6 were formed by combining various weight proportions of atitanium dioxide intermediate (specified in Table 4) and a laser topcoat base intermediate (specified in Table 5) along with an opticalbrightener. The resulting laser top coats are noted in Table 6. Varioushide coats listed in Table 7 were formed by combining various weightproportions of a polyester intermediate (specified in Table 3) and thetitanium dioxide intermediate (specified in Table 4), along with severalother components. The resulting hide coats are noted in Table 7.

TABLE 3 Polyester Intermediate Component Percent by Weight Toluene 30.00Methyl Ethyl Ketone 42.00 VITEL PE200 28.00

The polyester intermediate formulation of Table 3 includes VITEL PE 200,an inert polyester binder available from Bostik of Middleton, Mass.

TABLE 4 Titanium Dioxide Intermediate Component Percent by WeightPolyester intermediate 40 TI-PURE R-900 60

The titanium dioxide intermediate formulation of Table 4 includesTI-PURE R-900 which is a general purpose titanium dioxide pigmentavailable from E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company of Wilmington, Del.

TABLE 5 Laser Top Coat Base Intermediate Component Percent by WeightPolyester intermediate 65.94 TITANTIC KR38S 00.01 HYDRAL 710 06.67SYLOID 234 02.42 Toluene 16.19 Cyclohexanone 05.00 Methyl Ethyl Ketone03.77

The laser top coat base intermediate formulation of Table 5 includesTITANTIC KR38S which is isopropyl-tris (dioctyl-pyrophosphate) titanate,available from Kenrich Petrochemicals of Bayonne, N.J.; HYDRAL 710 is anextra fine, uniform median particle size of about 1.0 micron indiameter, of specially precipitated white aluminum trihydroxide Al(OH)₃,available from Almatis, Inc. of Bauxite, Ark.; and SYLOID 234 which isan amorphous synthetic silica available from W.R. Grace & Company ofColumbia, Md.

The various formulations were combined as noted in Table 6, below.UVITEX optical brightener available from Ciba of Basel, Switzerland wasused.

TABLE 6 Laser Top Coats Laser top coat number 4 5 6 10 11 12 14 15 17 1819 Titanium Dioxide 13.02 0 26.04 13.02 13.02 6.51 6.51 6.51 13.02 026.04 Intermediate Laser top coat base 86.78 99.8 86.78 86.78 86.7886.78 86.78 86.78 86.78 86.78 86.78 Intermediate UVITEX 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.30.15 0.2 0.15 0.11 0.11 0 0.11

Table 7 summarizes various hide coats that were formed. GIBRALTAR335-39270 available from Gibraltar Chemical Works of South Holland, Ill.was incorporated as noted.

TABLE 7 Hide Coats Hide Coat number 1 2 3 7 8 9 13 16 Polyester 51.8850.8 50.76 50.76 50.76 50.76 51.88 51.88 intermediate Titanium 25.8425.4 25.38 25.38 32 25.38 25.84 25.84 Dioxide Intermediate GIBRALTAR1.81 3.55 1.18 7 0 0.71 2.38 0 335-39270 Toluene 10.34 10.2 10.15 10.3410.34 10.15 10.34 10.34 Methyl Ethyl 10.34 10.2 10.15 10.34 10.34 10.1510.34 10.34 Ketone

The coatings designated in Tables 8A and 8B were printed using theGravure plate also designated in the tables. The resulting lightnessvalues, whiteness values, brightness values, b* values, and opacity weretaken. These were all printed over a 2 mils white polyester film. Thepolyester film is available from Mitsubishi Polyester Film, Inc. ofGreer, S.C. under the designation Hostaphan W270. The results aresummarized below in Tables 8A and 8B.

TABLE 8A Appearance Characteristics D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 DesignationTopcoat used 11 with 11 with 11 with 12 with 14 with 15 with 100HK 100HK100HK 100HK 100HK 100HK 1st hide coat  9 with  3 with 13 with  9 with  9with  9 with 100HK 100HK 100HK 100HK 100HK 100HK 2nd hide coat  9 with 3 with  9 with  9 with  9 with 150HK 200HK 150HK 150HK 150HK Results L*Value D65 93.85 94.08 93.49 94.32 93.78 94.22 b* −6.14 −6.32 −6.82 −8.71−8.15 −7.82 Brightness 97.35 96.55 95.19 101.34 98.39 99.04 Whiteness121.31 123.07 121.92 138.41 133.08 132.47 Opacity 99.73 100 100 99.7599.79 99.74

TABLE 8B Appearance Characteristics Designation D7 D8 D9 D10 Topcoatused 17 with 19 with 17 with 19 with 100HK 100HK 100HK 100HK 1st hidecoat 16 with 16 with 16 with 16 with 100HK 100HK 100HK 100HK 2nd hidecoat 3 with 3 with 1 with 1 with 100HK 100HK 100HK 100HK Results L*Value D65 95.25 95.2 94.52 94.41 b* −6.25 −4.02 −6.54 −4.47 Brightness99.53 95.96 97.88 94.4 Whiteness 126.22 112.59 125.7 112.93 Opacity99.51 99.68 99.75 99.73

Additional investigations were conducted to determine appearancecharacteristics of additional representative layered laminates accordingto the present invention. The results of these investigations are setforth below in Table 9.

TABLE 9 Additional Testing E D C B A F G Designation Topcoat used 4 with100HK 6 with 4/6 50/50 4 with 5 with 4 with 4 with 100HK with 100HK100HK 100HK 100HK 100HK 1st hide coat 2 with 100HK 3 with 3 with 1 with2 with 2 with 2 with 100HK 100HK 100HK 100HK 200HK 200HK 2nd hide coat 4with 6 with 200HK 200HK Results L* Value D65 93.49 94.89 94.79 94.2993.26 93.46 93.37 b* −7.08 −4.94 −5.65 −6.93 −10.94 −7.27 −7.24Whiteness 125.8 117.33 121.28 126.8 145.37 124.4 123.98 Opacity 99.9399.19 99.17 99.76 99.9 99.94 99.94

In another comparative investigation, anti-static agents are materialstypically added to a coating or a film to reduce the tendency of staticcharge built up. Typical anti-static agents are migratory hydrophilicmaterials such as surfactants and salts which dissipate static chargesvia moisture retention. An attempt was made to improve the opacity ofmetallic-containing top coats by increasing the level of the anti-staticagent. As noted in Table 10, various amounts of an anti-static agentavailable under the designation CYASTAT 609, from Cytec Industries ofWest Paterson, N.J. were used in a laser top coat base intermediateformulation. However, the addition of an anti-stat agent resulted intoner anchorage problems.

TABLE 10 Use of Anti-Static Agents M1 M2 M3 Laser top coat base 10097.13 94.27 Intermediate Cyastat 609 0 2.86 5.72 Gravure plate 100HK100HK 100HK

In another series of investigations, the electrical charge retentioncharacteristics of various labels were assessed via measurement ofcapacitance. Capacitance was measured with a Fluke 26 III multimeteravailable from Fluke Corporation of Everett, Wash. The capacitance wasmeasured by placing a 4×5 inch label face down (adhesive side up) on analuminum test panel and contacting one probe to the aluminum panel andone probe through the adhesive contacting the face material.

The results of these measurements are set forth below in Table 11. Thelabel samples M1, M2, and M3 are noted in Table 10. And productioncoater produced samples D5 and D9 are noted in Table 2. Label samples A,B, C, and D are all commercially available label materials. Thecapacitance measurements of all samples reveal that the preferredembodiment facestocks D5 and D9 exhibited, along with two of thecommercially available labels, the lowest capacitance. As will beappreciated, a low capacitance indicates a low propensity to storeelectrical charge.

TABLE 11 Capacitance Measurements Capacitance (nF per Caliper LabelOpacity L* b* Brightness Whiteness 20 square inches) (mils) M1 99.4894.9 −7.68 98.23 122.03 1.44 2.32 M2 99.97 95.06 −8.03 99.14 123.93 1.672.3 M3 100 95.04 −7.91 98.92 123.33 1.95 2.23 D5 99.72 94.1 −7.82 97.11121.04 <0.25 2.45 D9 99.82 94.56 −5.43 94.81 111.23 <0.25 2.48Commercial A 99.91 95.83 −6.78 99.15 119.98 1.63 2.5 Commercial B 10088.67 −0.44 74.07 75.56 1.88 2.52 Commercial C 94.5 97.16 −5.27 100.41116.2 <0.25 2.28 Commercial D 94.85 96.85 1 90.81 87.62 <0.25 2.28

Many other benefits will no doubt become apparent from futureapplication and development of this technology.

All patents, published applications, technical references and standards,and articles noted herein are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

It will be understood that any one or more features or components of oneembodiment described herein can be combined with one or more otherfeatures or components of another embodiment. Thus, the presentinvention includes any and all combinations of components or features ofthe embodiments described herein.

As described hereinabove, the present invention solves many problemsassociated with previous type devices. However, it will be appreciatedthat various changes in the details, materials and arrangements ofparts, which have been herein described and illustrated in order toexplain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in theart without departing from the principle and scope of the invention, asexpressed in the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A high opacity laser printable film facestock comprising: alaser printable film facestock having a printable first layer, a secondlayer, and a third layer, wherein the laser printable film facestockexhibits an opacity greater than or equal to approximately 99.0%, aCIELAB L* greater than or equal to approximately 93.5, a CIELAB b* lessthan or equal to approximately −5.0, and one or more characteristicsselected from the group consisting of (i) a whiteness index greater thanor equal to approximately 110, and (ii) a brightness greater than orequal to approximately 94.5%, the laser printable film facestock havinga caliper less than or equal to approximately 2.5 mils.
 2. The highopacity laser printable film facestock of claim 1, further comprising: afourth layer coupled between the second layer and the third layer,wherein the fourth layer is configured to reflect light and includes aprimer and at least one fourth layer additive, and the fourth layer isfree from metallic pigments.
 3. The high opacity laser printable filmfacestock of claim 1, wherein the third layer is configured to absorblight and includes a primer and at least one third layer additive. 4.The high opacity laser printable film facestock of claim 1, wherein thethird layer is free from metallic pigments.
 5. The high opacity laserprintable film facestock of claim 1, wherein the first layer isconfigured to reflect light and includes a primer and at least one firstlayer additive.
 6. The high opacity laser printable film facestock ofclaim 5, wherein the at least one first layer additive includes titaniumdioxide and the at least one first layer additive includes an opticalbrightener.
 7. The high opacity laser printable film facestock of claim1, wherein the second layer is a film with a softening temperaturegreater than or equal to approximately 200° C.
 8. The high opacity laserprintable film facestock of claim 1, wherein the second layer is apolyester film.
 9. The high opacity laser printable film facestock ofclaim 1, wherein the second layer includes a material selected from thegroup consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide,polyetherimide, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polytetraflouroethylene,nylon 6, nylon 6/6, nylon 6,10, nylon 11, nylon 12, polyamide-imide,polybutylene terephthalate, polyetheretherketone, and blends orcopolymers thereof.
 10. The high opacity laser printable film facestockof claim 9, wherein the second layer includes polyethyleneterephthalate.
 11. The high opacity laser printable film facestock ofclaim 1, wherein the first layer includes 2.5 to 12.5% by weighttitanium dioxide.
 12. The high opacity laser printable film facestock ofclaim 1, wherein the first layer includes an effective amount of atleast one optical brightener.
 13. The high opacity laser printable filmfacestock of claim 12, wherein the concentration of optical brightenerin the first layer is from about 0.05% to about 0.75%.
 14. The highopacity laser printable film facestock of claim 1, wherein the facestockexhibits an opacity greater than or equal to approximately 99.7%. 15.The high opacity laser printable film facestock of claim 1 wherein thefirst layer is a top coat layer, the second layer is a film layer, andthe third layer is a hide coat, the second layer being disposed betweenthe first layer and the third layer.
 16. The high opacity laserprintable film facestock of claim 15 wherein the hide coat includestitanium dioxide.
 17. A label sheet comprising: a liner sheet; afacestock sheet including a laser printable film facestock having aprintable first layer, a second layer, and a third layer, wherein thelaser printable film facestock exhibits a CIELAB L* greater than orequal to approximately 93.5, and a CIELAB b* less than or equal toapproximately −5.0, and an opacity greater than or equal toapproximately 99.0%, one or more characteristics selected from the groupconsisting of (i) a whiteness index greater than or equal toapproximately 110, and (ii) a brightness greater than or equal toapproximately 94.5%, the laser printable film facestock having a caliperless than or equal to approximately 2.5 mils; and a layer of pressuresensitive adhesive releasably coupling the liner sheet to the facestocksheet; wherein the label sheet includes cut lines extending through thefacestock sheet but not through the liner sheet to thereby define atleast one label.
 18. The label sheet of claim 17, wherein the at leastone label is two or more labels.
 19. The label sheet of claim 17,wherein the pressure sensitive adhesive is selected from the groupconsisting of permanent adhesives, ultraremovable adhesives, andremovable pressure sensitive adhesives.
 20. The label sheet of claim 17,wherein the label sheet includes at least one label strip defined by theat least one cut line through the facestock sheet but not the linersheet, and the label strip includes a plurality of labels.
 21. The labelsheet of claim 17, wherein the label sheet is configured for printing ina desktop printer or copier.
 22. The label sheet of claim 17, furthercomprising: a fourth layer coupled between the second layer and thethird layer, wherein the fourth layer is configured to reflect light andincludes a primer and at least one fourth layer additive, and the fourthlayer is free from metallic pigments.
 23. The label sheet of claim 17,wherein the third layer is configured to absorb light and includes aprimer and at least one third layer additive.
 24. The label sheet ofclaim 17, wherein the third layer is free from metallic pigments. 25.The label sheet of claim 17, wherein the first layer is configured toreflect light and includes a primer and at least one first layeradditive.
 26. The label sheet of claim 25, wherein the at least onefirst layer additive includes titanium dioxide and the at least onefirst layer additive includes an optical brightener.
 27. The label sheetof claim 17, wherein the second layer is a film with a softeningtemperature greater than or equal to approximately 200° C.
 28. The labelsheet of claim 17, wherein the second layer is a polyester film.
 29. Thelabel sheet of claim 17, wherein the second layer includes a materialselected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate,polyimide, polyetherimide, polysulfone, polyethersulfone,polytetraflouroethylene, nylon 6, nylon 6/6, nylon 6,10, nylon 11, nylon12, polyamide-imide, polybutylene terephthalate, polyetheretherketone,and blends or copolymers thereof.
 30. The label sheet of claim 29,wherein the second layer includes polyethylene terephthalate.
 31. Thelabel sheet of claim 17, wherein the first layer further includes aneffective amount of at least one optical brightener.
 32. The label sheetof claim 31, wherein the concentration of optical brightener in thefirst layer is from about 0.05% to about 0.75%.
 33. The label sheet ofclaim 17, wherein the first layer contains 2.5 to 12.5% by weighttitanium dioxide.
 34. The label sheet of claim 17, wherein the facestockexhibits an opacity greater than or equal to approximately 99.7%. 35.The label sheet of claim 17, wherein the first layer is a top coatlayer, the second layer is a film layer, and the third layer is a hidecoat, the second layer being disposed between the first layer and thethird layer.
 36. The label sheet of claim 35, wherein the hide coatincludes titanium dioxide.